Self-Driving Cars Will Likely Have To Be Light-Colored

That's because self-driving cars are safer and more efficient when they're light-colored, industry suppliers say.

The reason isn't to simplify assembly lines, as was the case more than a century ago when Ford reportedly told customers "you can have any color as long as it's black."

Rather, it's because of how self-driving cars, which are poised to become every bit as revolutionary as Ford's Model T was then, are going to operate. One of their key sensors, the laser light-mapping systems called LiDAR, can more easily detect light-colored vehicles. A self-driving car needs to "see" other cars in order to avoid them.

Although auto suppliers are actively pursuing new technologies to preserve dark colors, they're also seeking an edge in the global race to deliver self-driving cars.

That doesn't mean dark-colored vehicles will disappear from the scene altogether. There are systems to detect them, too. But a car requires more sensors to do it.

So in these early days of self-driving cars, automakers may favor light colors, such as white and silver, to make vehicles safer and more affordable.

It's all going to come into play soon. Multiple automakers are about to start tests of driverless cars in which there is no one behind the steering wheel waiting to take over in case the car fouls up. The cars, and their passengers, will be largely on their own. General Motors announced it wants to test Chevrolet Bolts in which there's no wheel at all.

In addition to color considerations, paint companies must also adapt their products to help vehicles avoid dirt buildup, which can clutter sensors and give false signals to self-driving cars.

The issue involving something as simple as choice of paint color underscores the sweeping effects of self-driving cars for automotive engineering, said Samit Ghosh, CEO of automotive consulting and engineering firm P3 North America.

"The whole design of the vehicle needs to be fundamentally different," Ghosh said.

Paint companies are working to adapt.

Axalta, spun off of DuPont in 2013, is experimenting with the insertion of flakes into dark-colored paints to make them more reflective while maintaining their fundamental aesthetic character.